Tale of Two Souls
by Midnight Vanilla
Summary: With her village destroyed from war, Kagome seeks help from the infamous war lord Sesshomaru to enact revenge. Love is ignorable, yet inevitable. Can they handle what's to come, or crumble at the hands of what sets them apart? Sess/Kag
1. Ambition

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters or anything else.

**Summary**: With her village destroyed from war, Kagome seeks help from the infamous war lord Sesshomaru to enact revenge. Love is ignorable, yet inevitable. Can they handle what's to come, or crumble at the hands of what sets them apart?

Yes, yes. Story number two. I will still be writing my other one, but I just had to get this idea down before I forgot it. Rating may change as I get farther into the story, but for now it's T.

* * *

Tale of Two Souls  
Chapter 1: Ambition

* * *

As far as anyone had known, the village had been lucky enough to avoid any type of aftermath from the war going on around them. Their village had to have been blessed, for no fighting was anywhere near the little village.

For years this continent has been engulfed in war. The Lord of the East has been trying to take over the Western Lands since before the war broke out. As of late, nothing had changed since everything first began. The Eastern Lands have slowly started taking over Western territory, but it wouldn't last. InuTaisho, or Toga, was the ruler of the Western Lands. There was no way he was going to give in that easily. His two sons ruled under him and had their own batch of warriors that followed them around and followed their every whim. But the Lord of the East had his own daughter and son, plus many others that ran the battle on the battlefield for him.

It was only time until something reared its' ugly head.

Only time.

The villagers had a plentiful amount of food to last for months, and with it being summer there was no sign of running out any time soon. If not for a few people's parents in the war, this village would have no idea of what was going on outside the village parameters.

Kagome stretched her arms out and sighed in content. It was another warm day.

She got up out of bed and threw on a yellow sundress and put her black hair back. She grabbed a piece of cloth from the floor and placed it over her arm.

"Mom, I'm going to the pond to bathe," she said as she walked into the room next to hers. "Don't wait up for me, I'll eat when I get back!"

Mrs. Higurashi glanced back and smiled at her daughter. "Okay, dear. Be careful." She turned back around and continued to do whatever she was doing before being interrupted.

The sun's heat came pouring down on her as she walked outside. It was a beautiful day, but a little hotter compared to usual. She shrugged off the thought.

"Kagome, where are you going?" questioned a younger boys voice.

Kagome sighed, looking over at her brother. "To bathe. It's really not that big of a deal. I'll be back before anyone even realizes I'm gone."

The young boy shook his head. "Don't let Grandpa see you, he'll never let you leave."

"That's if you don't tell on me again, Souta." She knelled down and ruffled his hair with her hands, a smile forming. "You got that?"

He pushed her away and looked away to make sure no one saw. "Sis, I told you not to do that in public..." His eyes flashed to the bucket of water real fast to check out the damage she did. Horrified, he stuck his hand in the water and ran his hands through his hair.

"Oh, please, who are you trying to impress, huh?" She had her hands on her hips.

Her younger brother blushed, tilting his head down as his eyes wandered the ground. "N-no one!"

She shrugged and continued on her way to the outskirts of the village. Three of the village soldiers stood guard by the gate, all heavily guarded if someone were to attack. When they heard her footsteps they glanced over at her, you could see the interest sparkling in their eyes. They didn't bother say a word to her until she was a few feet past them.

"Ye better watch out, girl," one of them spoke," there's been rumors going around that the Eastern Warriors are runnin' around."

The other soldier nodded his head. "I hear we're next," he hissed. His eyes wandered up and down her body before returning back to look at another villager coming their way.

"Even if we were to be attacked, wouldn't Lord Inuyasha or Lord Sesshomaru come and save the village?" another soldier asked. "Lord InuTaisho hasn't let any of the other villages down yet."

The one who spoke first snorted. "We're such a small village, those damn royal snobs wouldn't waste their time saving people like us," he spat. "To them we're nothin' but pawns in their little war. You'd be better off not going, but I know no one can stop a young women when she's got her mind set. Good luck to ya'."

"Uh, yeah. I'll remember that," she said quietly, as if whispering so no one else could hear her. Freaked out enough by the situation, she made her way to the pond without giving what they said too much thought.

She stripped down completely and jumped in, head first under water. No matter what anyone said, there was no way she was going to miss out on bathing. It was one of her favorite things to do in the morning, it was the only place she could be alone. Quite frankly, this was the most relaxing time of her day. Taking a deep breath she dove under again, emerging seconds later on the other side of the pond.

She sighed in complete bliss. Yet she could not help but think of what the village soldiers were conversing about earlier. Their tiny village was on the borderline of the Eastern Lands and the Western Lands, so she could only imagine they would be one of the first places to get hit by war. They were considered to be a part of the Western Lands, though. Somehow, their village was the only lucky one out of all the others that bordered the two warring lands. Maybe their time of peace was finally up, it sure did last long enough without seeing any bloodshed. The other villages who were conquered were mostly destroyed, but any of the humans that survived were taken hostage or as slaves to the Eastern Lands. The Eastern Lands were mostly full of demons, not counting the few human villages scattered throughout. The Western Lands had a lot more humans, due to their leader being mated to a human woman.

There was no way they'd find this place, right? Her view on everything was if it didn't happen already, it wasn't meant to happen.

She relaxed her body against the edge of the pond. Her mind was lost in thought. Her thoughts were immediately lost when she heard someone's voice. She peered up, scanning the area thoroughly with her eyes until they stopped on a lone man crawling towards the pond.

She looked at him skeptically. "Are y-you okay?" She spoke a little loudly, hoping the man heard her. Knowing it was in her best interest to get out, she climbed out as fast as she could and dressed.

"G-gir...g-girl fr-from earlier," he mumbled. He used his arms to pull him forward the rest of the way, his legs giving out underneath him. "Quick, the village...it's up in f...flames." His words became more jumbled as his face contorted with pain.

Kagome rushed over to the man, almost instantly realizing it was one of the soldiers that warned her earlier. "What do you mean, the village is in flames?" She lightly shook him to keep him awake. You could see his eyes start to close.

"It wasn't just a...rumor...they're taking everyone away..." He reached his hand out to her, like he was waiting for her to grab it and make all the pain go away. His hand lightly fell to his side and his breathing suddenly stopped.

She started to shake her head numerous times. "No, no, no, no!" Jumping up from her spot next to the fallen soldier she ran in haste back to the village.

As she neared the village, the smell of smoke consumed her senses. It was becoming hard for her to see, the smoke was like a giant cloud of fog keeping her from seeing ahead. The village came into her view, and so did the tragic sight in front of her. Houses were burned to the ground, plus all of the houses that were still burning. The villagers lay dead or almost dead on the ground, mothers and children included. She couldn't spot any of the Eastern soldiers. Noticing this must have happened right after she left to bathe.

Her eyes widened as she came to her own house. It was already burned to the ground, all you could see was the smoke wafting around in the breeze that blew by. Nothing made it through. Nothing.

She fell to the ground, pounding her fist against the dirt. "Dammit! If I would of just stayed at home like I was suppose to," her voice fell flat. _And die like everyone else? _

She could hear the sound of a horse trotting around, and there was no way she was going to die today. She scanned her surroundings and her eyes lit up as she saw a place to hide. Almost instantly she hid on the other side of the debris and watched. Two soldiers emerged from the smoke, and from the yellow markings on their armor, they were definitely of Eastern forces.

"I think we're done here," one said to the other.

"Did you scout the whole place out? I don't want any of them left alive. Those were our orders." The other one had a louder, more assertive voice. He had to be the leader of the group.

"Uh, no sir. I did not. I just assumed-"

"Don't you ever _assume_ anything again. We can't let any of them get away, master's orders. And I heard that the War Lord Sesshomaru and his half-witted younger brother Inuyasha have been seen in these areas as of late. I'm sure they'll be coming here soon, and we can't have anyone alive to tell what happened now can we?" His voice sent shivers down her spine. Kagome did not like this man at all.

"No, sir."

"Good, if anyone is to find out what really happened, it'd spoil our Lord's devious plan." He grabbed onto the horses reigns. "Dismissed!" With that they both rode off.

_Mom, Souta, Grandpa...I'll find out what's going on and help stop this war. I have to, for you guys._ She shook her head, trying to dry the tears from her eyes. She couldn't show weakness, not now. She had to be strong if she was going to survive this on her own. She peered out past all the wreckage and out into path that led to the next village. _If I heard them correctly, the two brothers of Lord InuTaisho should be around here. Maybe if I find them I can sneak into their group._

She nodded, happy with the choice she made. If she could do that, from there on she could think of her next plan of action. She fingered the jewel that hung around her neck, it was a gift from her mom. It was a beautiful circled jewel, said to have been passed down many generations. The only memory left of her family.

Taking in a deep breath, she moved forward.

* * *

**Author's Note**: And that's that. I know it's starting out pretty slow, but it does get better. You can assume what you will, but I bet whatever you're thinking will not be how this story turns out. It may seem a little cliche now, but I promise you, you will be surprised. Sesshomaru will appear next chapter, along with a few surprises. Reviews are welcome, tell me what you think.


	2. Lords of the West

**Disclaimer**: I still don't own anything, and I never will. You hear that?

This is where the real story begins, no more boring filler chapters. For now, anyway. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 2: Lords of the West

* * *

It felt like she had been traveling for days - which in actuality she had only been traveling for a few hours - before she finally came upon the Western Lord's camp. It was much bigger than she anticipated it to be. At least twenty tents lay amongst the grass from which she could see. There were many tiki torches surrounding the area to light up the darkness of the night. Random soldiers of all types, demon and human alike, wandered around the camp aimlessly. In all honesty, she didn't understand why they were sitting around doing nothing. But then again, what did she know about war and their strategies?

As stealthy and quiet as she could, she came out from her hiding place behind a bush and crept into the camp.

Sneaking behind tents and hiding behind trees, she made her way deeper in. Lucky for her she decided to sneak in at night time, only so many soldiers were up for night watch, limiting her chances of getting caught. Now, if only she could make it to the center without tripping, that would really help things from getting way out of hand. Kagome wasn't the most acute person, anyone who knew her knew she was probably the most clumsiest girl to walk the earth. Or close to it.

Two soldiers made their way past her. Knowing this was her chance to sprint farther in, she took it. The tents started to get less and less until she arrived back to the edge of the campsite.

She blinked. "Did I take a wrong turn somewhere? I swear I was going the right way." She lifted her fingers to her chin, thinking as to what she could have done wrong.

"Hey, did you hear that?" a gruff voice asked. Kagome covered her mouth immediately, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, I think it came from over there." The man pointed in her direction.

She scoured for a place to hide, but to no avail. _Shit, shit, shit._

"Look! I see someone! Hey you, stop right there!" They came rushing towards her.

She stopped dead in her tracks, tilted her head to the side, and sighed. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Each man roughly grabbed her arms on both sides_._ "What are you, a spy? Don't think you'll get away from sneaking in here so easily. Lord Sesshomaru will not let you down easy." The two nodded at each other and trudged her away, ignoring her yelling and constant flailing of her arms and legs.

"Let me go- wait, did you say Lord Sesshomaru?" She stopped fighting them as soon as the words left her lips.

"What else would we have said? You're pretty dumb for a spy." The two snickered.

That was it. She started yelling and kicking again and digging her heels into the ground. "I'm not a spy!"

"We've heard that one before."

"I'm being serious. I just had some business to take care of..." her voice faded as she rethought what she just said. Yeah, cause that didn't make her sound like a spy at all. _Good going Kagome, you're a real clever one._

Finally realizing fighting them was hopeless, she gave in and stopped struggling. The good thing was, they were taking her right where she wanted to be. The bad news, she was going to be giving the two Lord's the wrong impression. She was not a spy, just an average girl looking for a way to avenge her dead family. Yeah, that sounded good. She mentally kicked herself for being so dumb. Nothing was going as she planned, not like it ever did. But still.

They finally arrived at the main tent, it was much larger than all the others. There was no way one could miss it. It was so obvious, even the enemies would know right away where to strike. But just like any other wealthy person, they had to live in luxury, even in the midst of war.

She let out a breathe she didn't even know she was holding._ This is it._

The two pulled her into the tent, pushing her forward as they spoke. "We found this girl snooping around the camp." They got on their knees and bowed.

The man they spoke to turned around, his long, shiny, well-kept silver hair flowed around with him. There was a crescent moon on his forehead, showing he was in fact who she thought it was. His piercing eyes stopped right on her. He smiled at the sight of her, if you could consider a smile as scary as his an actual smile. More like a I'm-going-to-murder-you type of smile.

"Oh, really?" His voice held no emotion as he spoke.

"Yes, milord. Good thing we caught her-"

"Leave." The two glanced at each other quickly before retreating back to their posts.

Kagome did not like this at all. She didn't expect one of InuTaisho's sons to be so cold and, for the lack of a better word, evil looking. Just staring at him sent shivers up her spine. She wanted to speak, tell him everything that was on her mind and how stupid of a situation this was and beg for him to let her join them, but she was at a loss for words. Everything about him just shouted out danger, but for some reason she couldn't make the effort to run. She was here for a reason, and she'd be damned if any youkai would scare her away after she got this far.

"Why are you here?" he asked coldly. She didn't answer him, her body was frozen in place and her lips just didn't want to move. "Speak, girl."

She took in a deep breath. "Let me join you."

If only for a second, he was taken aback. That's not what he expected to hear from the girl. Most women would be bowing down to him begging for him to take them now. But not this woman. "You want to fight with us, a mere human girl? I don't see how you could help us at all."

She cringed at his insult. Great, another human hating youkai, just what she needed right now. "Ya' know, I'm not just some weak human girl."

"Oh really?" He looked amused. She was just about to give him a piece of her mind when someone came barging into the tent. He had silver hair just like Sesshomaru, except dog ears protruded from his head. His gold eyes were scrunched in anger.

"Where's that spy they caught? I swear those Eastern Forces are gonna' get it." He looked around angrily, completely bypassing the girl. "Did you kill him already? We could of got some good information out of him-"

"Inuyasha." Sesshomaru tried his best not to loose control and beat his younger brother senseless. He was not the smartest man to ever walk the earth. His brother followed Sesshomaru's finger to the girl.

Inuyasha looked baffled. "You mean her! She's just a girl."

"I'm right here, I can hear you you know..."

Completely ignoring her smart remark, they both faced her now. All eyes were on her, but now it was finally her chance to talk some sense into these guys and get in already.

"I want to join you and fight," she paused before having to say her next two words," along side you."

"But you're a spy!" Inuyasha spat.

"I am not! You don't even have proof of that."

"We did catch you snoop-in around our campsite, that's proof enough, you dumb girl."

"I can go wherever I want to, this is a free country!"

"Oh yeah? Then go ahead and prance on out of here."

Kagome glared at him. Lord or not, he was getting on her nerves, accusing her of something he didn't even have valid proof of. "My village was just destroyed and I lost everything I ever had, my friends and family." She clenched her fist in anger. "I want revenge, so I came here hoping you guys would help me."

"So you wanna join us, huh?" Inuyasha glanced at her, finally realizing she did look a bit rugged. But his eyes also caught on something else. "Why not. We could use a female around here anyway."

"What?" Sesshomaru did not look too happy. That had to have been the last thing he wanted to hear come out of his half-witted brother's mouth.

"Really?" Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Really."

Sesshomaru was knowingly staring his half-brother down. A human would only slow them down, and a human girl no less. True, they did have quite a few humans working for them, but they had to undergo intense training methods to be able to stand up to other youkai. That girl probably wouldn't make it a day in training or on the battlefield. He mentally wrote himself a note to strangle his half-brother later. Knowing he didn't have much of a choice at the moment, he agreed with the choice.

"You smell. Someone will accompany you to bathe, and we'll get you more suitable clothes," Sesshomaru said callously.

_Hmph, the nerve of that guy! To say I smell, I doubt he's any better off! _She hid her anger and only nodded at him.

"Go wait outside."

She tried not to roll her eyes, he was so demanding. She bowed and left.

"You better have a good reason for keeping her around."

Inuyasha grinned at his brother, knowing full well he had a very good reason to keep her around. "You idiot, did you see that jewel around her neck? It's the Shikon No Tama."

The older taiyoukai blinked. He did notice some sort of jewelry, but paid no attention to such a trivial thing. If it was really was the Shikon No Tama like Inuyasha said, then they got a lot more than they bargained for with this girl. The Jewel was known to give great power to whoever held it. And if she wore it around openly like that, she probably didn't know what it really was.

The taiyoukai smirked.

"I doubt she'd hand that over willingly, whether she knows what it is or not. And if she somehow tapped into it's power, she'd be a force to reckon with." Leave it to Inuyasha to point out the obvious. "Our best option would be to get her to trust us."

Sesshomaru did not like that idea. He didn't like humans for one, and for the most part he kept himself distanced from them. They were smelly, weak, stubborn, and annoying. Never did he expect he had to befriend one on false circumstances.

"Can ya' handle that?" Inuyasha asked. You could tell he was amused, knowing his brother hated humans.

Oh how he was going to prove his brother wrong on this one. They needed her to trust both of them. "Of course, little brother."

Inuyasha was grinning from ear to ear. "Good. I have, uh, business to take care of. So you can accompany her to bathe, have fun." With that he was gone.

Sesshomaru was not liking this, not one bit.

* * *

"You don't have to sit over there, I think I can handle this on my own." Kagome was already undressed and in the water. Her eyes shot daggers at the youkai who sat not more than twenty feet away from her.

"Hnn."

She cleaned herself off as best she could. It was kind of hard to do anything with one of the Lord's of the West's eyes digging into her back.

"Why did you have to come anyway?"

"In case something were to happen."

She tried not to laugh. "When did you start caring about my well being?"

"I never did."

She growled. Yep, it was official, this guy was impossible. She had to admit though, this was better than walking around all of the Western lands aimlessly. With nowhere to go and no other family around, she would have been living on her own off what she could gather. Sure, she was okay with a bow, but she didn't have it in her to actually go hunting for her own food.

The water was starting to feel cold again. "Turn around."

He looked at her wordlessly.

She said it again, the anger in her voice rising. "Turn around."

"I've seen many women bodies before. Yours is no different." He stood up. "Dress."

Ignoring his rude comment, she got out and turned around, dressing as fast as she could in the clothes he provided her. Now around her body was a white and light pink silk kimono. It was a tight fit, it showed off her curves and cut off a few inches above her knees. All in all, it was gorgeous. He also provided ankle length black cloth-like shoes.

"Thank you." She really meant it.

"Hnn." He started to go back to camp. "Follow."

They arrived not long after at a smaller tent. "You will sleep here. Be prepared, in the morning we are leaving."

"Where to?" She didn't expect to hear that come out of his mouth.

"To invade Eastern Lands. We've been fooling around with them long enough." With that he left her alone. She could only imagine what she got herself into.

* * *

I was listening to _breaking benjamin - blow me away_ when I wrote this chapter. For some reason it really fits with the whole plot of this story and everything. Anyway, hope you enjoyed.

_show me the way._


End file.
